The Equinox
by ScarletSutcliff
Summary: (WARNING: MOSTLY OC'S) *Takes place in the Solar and Lunar War* When Luna goes missing after the death of her younger brother, MoonDancer won't let anypony stand in her way of finding her and defeating Celestia, her tyrant sister. But what happens when the only way to find her is giving up the only moral she has to a colt she's never met. Which will she choose: Obey or Resist?
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHORS NOTE: Hello! ScarletSutcliff here! This started out as a roleplay between The Fox Doctor and I. Then the writer in me completely fangirled at the raw potential it held to be an amazing story, and thus "The Equinox" was born. Now, it does contain mostly OC's, just a warning for those who don't like those. Also, it takes place in the Solar and Lunar war; which, in a nutshell, is when Luna returns from the moon and her sister still continues to hog the glory of raising the sun and the moon. Celestisa gets a big head and attempts to create a dictatorship. Luna does what she needs to do to keep her citizens safe and tries to overthrow her sister. Since Celestia is no longer the holder of the elements of harmony and the main six have split into opposite sides, she has no way to send her back to the moon. Thus, the Solar and Lunar war begins!  
**

* * *

I roll breathlessly into the bushes, concealing myself from a passing Solar guard. It's here. I fell it when I run, the ground under my hooves is thin. I put an ear to the ground. Small echoes reverberate underneath it.

"The Canterlot caves are right underneath me," I whispered to the night, "All I have to do is find a thin enough spot to…" Something strikes my chest, knocking me onto my back. I roll to my feet just in time. A blade impales the place where my head was just a second ago. Using my magic, I quickly pull my gun from its holster on my back calve and hold it to my attackers head.

His coat is bright orange and his mane is black with red highlights. Almost like he showered in blood. His eyes are hidden behind think black glasses even though it is dark; I wonder how he is able to see. His most obvious feature is the golden Solar guard armor and a smirk that said 'go ahead and shoot, I'm invincible.'

"I really don't think you're in any position to shoot," He advised, his face still plastered with that arrogant grin, "Shooting one of the princesses guards will get you about 50 years," He steps close to me, "Shooting the princesses personal assassin will get you life." I step back, he takes this opportunity to kick the gun from my grasp. I watch helplessly as my gun skids across the cobblestone. When I turn back to the pumpkin colored pony, he pins me to the ground.

"Lunar Republic, eh?" He asks, staring down at the pendant on my necklace, "State your name and rank." I growl and spit in his face. He pushes down harder on my wrists, making me squeal. "Don't be stupid," His smirk had been replaced by deadly serious glare. I struggle.

"Moondancer… Manehatten unit… rank… scout," I confide, desperate to relieve the growing pain in my forearms. I slowly reach for the switch blade strapped to my inner thigh. He notices me squirming and lets me stand, only to be met with my blade at his throat.

"You know, it's funny. I've never met an assassin so easily distracted."

"I wasn't distracted. This little outburst of yours was predictable. I'm just not scared of a weak soldier, like you," His face is neutral.

"What did you call me?" I ask, pushing my blade a little deeper into his neck, a tear of blood slips down his chest but he doesn't seem to care. Before I can make a move, the assassin sweeper kicks my legs out from under me. His blade is now at my throat.

"Weak soldier." My rage is growing and all I want to do is get into those caves.

"I'm not scared of you," I sneer.

"I don't recall saying that you should be," He states simply, "Now, are you going to come with me or are we going to do this the hard way?" I stay silent. He shrugs.

"Suit yourself." All I see is a coral hoof descending towards me, then darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

I open my eyes and bolt strait up. It's pitch black but luckily my lunar training has tuned my eyes to this situation. I'm in a bedroom. There are no windows but there is a bed, which I am on, a vanity, and furnishings. A door opens on the far right wall; a shadowy figure emerges.

"Who's there?" I demand, moving back towards the wall. I hear a click and light floods the room. It's the stallion from last night. His hair isn't as messy now and he isn't wearing any armor. I can see his cutie mark. It's a squiggly blade of some sort, similar to the one he used last night. Finally I see his face; I would think he's handsome if we weren't in this situation. Instead of the playful smirk he wore last night, his face was painted with a small, lop-sided smile. I growl. He laughs.

"Relax, you're safe," He assures, taking a seat on the end of the bed.

"Yeah, okay," I roll my eyes in fake excitement, "I don't know where I am, I have an extreme pain in my neck, and _you're here." _He laughs again.

"Well, where do you think you are?" He questions, raising one eyebrow condescendingly. I stare at him dumbfounding.

"Uh, the Celestial dungeons, maybe?" I ask sarcastically, rousing yet another laugh from the ebony haired stallion. I'm starting to think he just kidnapped me for entertainment. "What?" I ask defensively_._

"Not a bad guess actually, but no. The celestial dungeons aren't this nice. This is the UCE Reformation hotel. This is your new home for a while." My face goes slack.

"The UCE? The United Confederation of Equestria? Celestia's little recruiters? Like Hell I'm staying here!" I move to get off the bed but the stallion pushes me back down.

"No. I mean yes, we are the United Confederation of Equestria, but no, we aren't Celestia's recruiters. We actually work towards reuniting the sisters, in case you didn't know." I roll my eyes. Yeah, right.

"What do you want with me?"

"We want you on our side, the side of harmony," His voice is calm but his eyes are firm.

"No, I will never betray Luna," I shout, eyes watering with fury.

"No one said you had to betray her," he stares into my teary eyes, "We just need you to accept equality in both princesses. Please see reason, we need both princesses to survive in harmony. Help us get the old Equestria back."

"Not a chance." He pauses, then sighs; letting me out of his grip.

"I've been thinking," He exclaims, staring at the wall, "How can we live in harmony when one of the princesses is missing?" I sit up abruptly.

"How do you know about Luna?" I growl, throwing him into the back wall. I reach for my switch blade. Crap they took my switch blade.

"Didn't you notice the solar armor I was wearing yesterday?" He asks, "We have spies in both the Lunar and Solar sectors," He pulls me off of him and begins to pace the room. "Luna went missing immediately after the death of her younger brother just 9 moons ago. In order to follow the pursuit of harmony we need _both _princesses," He looks back at me, "It wasn't a coincidence that I found you yesterday night. I knew it would be you to search the Canterlot Caves first. You are the closest recruit to Luna, and we need you to help us track her down."

"What makes you think I'm the closest recruit to Luna?" I raise an eyebrow questioningly. He puts an orange hoof to his temple.

"Says here that Luna practically raised you," He pauses, raising his eyebrows, "It even says that she gave you your cutie mark," He pauses again before bursting out into laughter, "You got your cutie mark by absent-mindedly prancing about your yard pretending that you were Wonderbolt?" My face flushes.

"Hey! What are these things anyways?" I rip the glasses off of his face and scream. Beneath the somehow all-knowing glasses were two black pits. "Wh-where are your eyes?!" He takes his glasses and puts them back on quickly.

"Not in my head and that's all you need to know," He doesn't look mad, but he's defiantly not laughing anymore.

"Oh come on, you know about my embarrassing cutie mark story, tell me about your eyes."

"I actually only know the basics, maybe we could trade stories on the road," He slings a saddle bag onto his back and hands one to me.

"Where are we going?" I ask, slinging my own saddle bag across my back.

"To find Princess Luna, I have a feeling that I know where she is."


	3. Chapter 3

I look around the outside of the UCE Reformation Hotel. It is surprisingly nice; flower beds and fountains dot the landscape. It's kind of what I imagine a Rehab Center would look like. Welcoming on the outside, torturous on the inside, and oh so full of dark secrets.

I grimaced. This isn't rehab. I've done nothing wrong. My new princess rescue mission partner notices.

"What?"

"I'm surprised at how close this is to Canterlot," I sneer, "I thought you _weren't_ Celestia's little recruiters." His eyes are closed and his face is calm.

"We're not. We only wish to reunite the sisters. We do not favor one over the other. In fact," He turns to face me, "You won't be needing this anymore." He grabs my Lunar Republic pedant and yanks in hard, snapping the metal link.

"Hey!" I shout. He throws the symbol into the dirt and stomps on it roughly. I stare at the jagged pieces in disbelief. Both wings are snapped off and the moon is in three pieces. The stallion sweeps the mess aside and sets down a shiny Solar Empire pendant in its place. My face is as red as my hair. I feel my eyes start to tear up; weather from sadness or anger, I'm not sure. I yell raising my hoof to crush his pendant. He catches it before I can strike.

"Wait," He says calmly, letting go of my hoof slowly. He looks me in the eyes then steps on the crest. I hear it snap under his hoof. I can't help but get a little satisfaction out of it. "There," He says with a lopsided grin, "Now you know that you can trust me." I stand in front of him dumbfounded.

"How in Luna's blue moon does that mean I can trust you?!" I inquire loudly. He smiles again.

"It's symbolism. It's me reassuring you that I'm not going to take the side of one princess or the other," He reaches into his saddle bag and emerges with a new crest. It was the Lunar and Solar emblem resting peacefully inside of each other, relying on each other to stay up, completely in each other's trust, "But of both of them intertwined." He fastens the pin onto my chain. I look down at it, still somewhat unsure. "Come on, it's a two day walk to Ponyville and I'm looking forward to hearing about your fantastically false flying story," He torts nonchalantly ahead of me without looking back.

"Yeah, okay," I quickly sweep the broken crest pieces into my pack, "I didn't catch your name."

"Shadow Blade." He answers.


	4. Chapter 4

"What makes you think that Luna isn't in the caves?" I inquire. I'm still not entirely sure that he isn't just covering for Sun Butt. He laughs.

"Gee, for Luna's top spy, not to mention friend, you sure don't know the entirety of Luna's power. The Canterlot Caves may be sealed tight enough to hold a minor princess like Cadence, but for a pony who holds magic as strong as Luna's, only the Elements of Harmony and a prison 200,000 miles away can contain them." I blush a little from embarrassment. It's not that I didn't know Luna's raw potential, it's just that I've never had to see her use it. Blade notices my embarrassment and graciously changes the subject, "We are going to Ponyville."

"What's in Ponyville?"

"Pinkie Pie, and where there's a Pinkie Pie there's a party, and where there's a party there's Neon Lights." Shadow answered. His face held a sentimental smile, like he was looking back on a fond memory… Did he used to be friends with Neon Lights?!

"Neon Lights? As in national pop star and open Lunar Republic supporter?!"

"That's the one," He says nonchalantly. Okay fangirling.

"Oh my Luna, for real?! I love him. His remix _Pony Rock Anthem_ is epic!" My voice has raised three octaves. Blade turns to look at me, eyebrows raised. I shrink back, coughing to regain a reasonable tone, "I mean, Luna is our main concern, but um," I smile awkwardly.

"Don't think that we're here to party. We're here strictly on business. Neon Lights is a VIP who definitely knows how to get what he wants. Being the Lunar Supporter that he is, I find it hard to believe that he knows nothing to the where-a-bouts of Luna."

"Right," I state firmly, trotting ahead of him. I stop and look back, "But maybe we could have a little fun. I used to go to Pinkie Parties all the time when I worked in Ponyville; it's kind of hard not to have a good time." Blade stops.

"You… used to know Pinkie?" His facial expression changes from firm to sorrowful in a matter of seconds.

"What?" I ask, "You don't like Pinkie? That's really odd considering how extremely lovable she is. Everyone loves Pi…"

"You sure ask a lot of questions," He trots ahead. Odd. I took him as one for strait answers.

"What? Now you've got me curious."

"It's nothing… she just… used to be my special some pony," He tilts his head opposite me; I take it he's trying to look away. My eyes go wide.

"Special some pony? Pinkie?" I look at him dumbfounded. I didn't take him for the relationship type, much less Pinkie Pie. "What happened?"

"Work. I had to move to Canterlot to help in the UCE's Reformation unit. We haven't seen each other since." His lips are shut tightly. He seems like he's almost ready to cry. It's understandable I suppose. After all, Pinkie wasn't just some fling or temporary fillyfriend for him; she was his SSP. I never really understood the concept of relationships. Somepony peeks your interest, you go on a few dates, over-infatuation sets in, and then sooner or later you're hurt beyond repair; never to see the point of seeking love ever again. I look back over at Blade, who's staring at his hooves blankly.

"Well, I think it's time to get moving. We've got a two day long trip and many interesting stories to share. For instance, I'd like to know the where-a-bouts of your eyes and how exactly you were able to almost slice my head off without them." Blade smiles.

"It's the glasses," He fiddles with the frame," There're connected to my brain, but we'll get to that later. Right now, I'd like to know, in full detail, how it is that you got your cutie mark by trotting around like a maniac," He shoots me a toothy, sarcastic grin. He may be calling my dancing turrets, but I'm glad that he isn't moping around and we can actually get some mileage in before the sun goes down.

"It all started on an early spring morning, April 17, 9 o' clock, I was a blank flank, an extremely late bloomer at that. It was then that my oldest brother, he was 16 at the time, told me…"

"Okay, maybe not _full _detail, but don't leave out any embarrassing parts," Blade interrupts.

"Fine!" I groan, "But when you're dying to know my brothers occupation, don't come crying to me." He smirks. "Anyways, my brother took me to a Wonderbolts show. I was so mesmerized by the way that the twisted and twirled that I made it my goal to become one!" I dramatically threw a hoof into the air.

"You do know that you're a unicorn, right? And unicorns usually can't fly," Blade smirks, interrupting me yet again. I should really keep tally on how many times he's interrupted me. With those tallies and the fact that he kidnapped me, maybe I could use that as blackmail in the long run. I wave my hoof at him.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm getting to that. Like I was saying," I glare at him, he smirks in return, "I made it my goal to become one. But alas!" I throw a hoof to my forehead dramatically, putting on my best country accent, "How could a little ol' unicorn like me fly among the stars?!" I look over at Blade, expecting him to be thoroughly invested, instead he smirks. Whatever, "I spent weeks ravaging the archives, looking for a spell that would give me wings. It took 2 weeks but I finally found one. I practiced it night and day, every attempt ending in utter failure. I vowed not to rest until I had a brand-new set of pearly white wings. One night I went into my backyard to try the spell just one more time before sleep took over. I halfheartedly cast the spell, expecting it to end like all of the rest. I turned around and to my surprise, there they were. Wings! I couldn't sleep now. I had to fly! I twirled and spun just like the Wonderbolts; horseapples, I bet I even did a sonic rainboom! I flew until I couldn't fly anymore. I eventually passed out from exhaustion. I woke up in the morning, still in my backyard. I turned around to see my wings, but they weren't there. Instead there was the princess of the night, Luna…"

"That's impossible, if you're a little younger than me, which you're profile says you are, then Luna was still on the moon when you were a kid…"

"Would you quit interrupting? I was just getting to that! She told me not to be afraid. She saw me dancing from her throne on the moon and she was there to tell me how beautiful it was. You see, it turned out that I never actually gave myself wings. My subconscious acted upon my extreme desire for wings, and my even more extreme lack of sleep and created a thought sequence in which I could fly. She told me that my meeting with her was just a dream and that she was still up in the moon, waiting for her chance to come home…"

"Wait a second, Luna could still see still dreams when she was on the moon? Man, I really hope she didn't see any of mine from my teenage years. That could be awk…"

"TMI!" I interrupt, "Anyways, she told me that I was a special filly and that if the chance arose where she needed a dedicated pony by her side, it would be me. With a flash of light she was gone and I was awake. I looked behind me, to be sure it was true. Instead of wings, there was a brand-new cutie mark," I looked down at the grey moon and three red stars dotting my flank and smile, remembering my first meeting with the mare who taught me how to fly. I look back at Blade who seems to also be examining my cutie mark, not to mention the area around it. I swipe my tail over the symbol. He waits a second before he speaks. Too bad the first words out of him mouth are…

"I don't get it." he pauses to enjoy my utterly aggravated face before continuing "I mean, what does that symbol have to do with dancing?" I roll my eyes and relax my tail.

"One star is the Wonderbolts, who created my dream, another star is the spell, that fed my dream, the last star is the hallucination, that completed my dream, and the moon is Luna, who transformed the dream. At least that's how I always interpreted it." He smirks at me.

"You get all of that from a moon and three measly stars, huh?"

"It's symbolism," I throw right back at him.

"That's plagiarism," He accuses, turning his nose up.

"I'm pretty sure you're not the only pony in the Equestria to use the word symbolism," I argue.

"You don't think? I seldom hear a pony use such sophisticated jargon. I find this generation down right idiotic."

"Ouch."

"Well, not _necessarily_ you, but you never know, that could change."

"My intellectual level could change?"

"Quite possibly." I roll my eyes. The more I get to know Shadow Blade the more diverse he becomes. He's went from sarcastic, to sentimental, to playful, and back around again. It makes me want to learn more about his history. Really dig into the contradictory colt that is Shadow Blade. Years of military training does that to a pony. It takes away the ability to have a normal conversation without completely tearing it apart to find hidden meaning. I wonder if he does the the same to me.


	5. Chapter 5

"I think it's about time to set up camp," Blade says, shading that last intense blast of sunset from his artificial vision.

"No," I say instantly, "I can walk a little longer." My body betrays me by letting out a lengthy yawn. He smiles slightly and raises his eyebrows, like he's rolling his eyes. At least that's what he would do if he, you know, had eyes.

"Yeah, okay," Despite his words, he strays off the path into a nearby clearing, "This seems like a good spot." I sigh, too tired to bother arguing with him. Blade sets up a tent while I gather firewood. It takes him a little longer than it takes me. My Lunar training leaves me with almost perfect vision, even in the dark, while Blade on the other hoof is having a little bit of trouble. The only reason we needed a fire was for him. Well that and it's freezing.

"Oh, crap," I hear Blade call from over by the tent. I turn away from the warmth of the fire to see him holding up a somewhat small blanket, "I only brought one." I slowly reach back into my saddle bag, attempting to hide a smirk under a blanket of false concern.

"Oh too bad, oh wait," I pull out my fully repaired Lunar pendant. I twist the star to the left twice and it expands into a full-sized blanket with a lunar crest right in the center. Blade watches, eyebrows raised; his eyes would be the size on tennis balls if he had any. Bet his UCE crest can't do _that_.

"Where did you get that?" He asks sharply. I turn the star to the right twice and transform it back into a pendant.

"Found it," I levitate the pendant in front of him. He smashes it immediately. "Oops," I tease, using my magic to fix it once again. His jaw is set angrily as he starts to put the supplies away. "What? Are you having a temper tantrum?" I smirk.

"You refuse to stay neutral, so I refuse to take you to Luna."

"Oh please," I lie down, folding one hoof over the other to get comfortable, "You want to find her just as badly as I do. Plus, you don't even know where to go!" I sneer right as he blows out the fire. "Shadow Blade! What the hay?!" I shout.

"We're leaving," he states firmly.

"Okay, okay!" I say, snapping my pendant in half and tossing it into the, now obsolete, fire. He smiles, looking quite content with himself. "You didn't have to put out the fire just to make a point you know," I turn away from him and hug myself with my hooves, "It's freezing out here."

"It won't be in here," I turn around to see that he's holding open the flap to the tent. I groan. I'd rather not sleep in the same tiny tent as a pony that, not 48 hours ago, attempted to slice my horn off my head. "Well, either sleep out there in the cold or in here…"

"With the cold hearted?" I interrupt, smirking.

"Precisely," He coos with a sly smile. I swear, every time I try to get on his nerves he just throws it back in my face. It's really quite irritating. I roll my eyes and make my way to the tent.

It's even smaller on the inside than it looks. It's barley big enough for two ponies to sit in, much less lie down. We both sit there awkwardly pressed up against the tent wall trying, yet failing, to not touch each other. Blade is the first to lie down. When he finally gets comfortable, he looks up at me.

"You know, 30 degrees sounds pretty good right about now," I announce, standing up. Blade grabs my tail and pulls me to the ground beside him. I don't want to admit it, but the warmth radiating off of Blade was rather bitter-sweet. I grunted for show and turned to face him.

Our muzzles were mere centimeters apart and I could feel his breath on my lips. He narrows his eyes and smirks, semi-seductively.

"What?" I snap.

"Nothin'," He mumbles, "It's just that the last time I was this close to somepony was with Pinkie Pie." He scoots a bit closer. I flip over abruptly so that my back is in his face instead of my own.

"Go to sleep," I state, not coarsely, but just enough to get the point across that I was _not_ interested. I start to shake a little, and not from the cold.

"What?" He asks in a raspy voice. His breath is right on the back of my neck. In one swift move, his chest is against my back and his hooves are encircling me. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying not to enjoy it. After longer than I'd like to admit, my eyes shoot wide open in realization. I flip back over so that my nose is pressed aggressively against his.

"Don't think that you can just use me to get over some past love affair?" I snap. He backs away.

"N-no, I just!" He stammers.

"I can't believe you!"

"I didn't…," I tries to explain but decides against it, "No, you're right. That was unprofessional of me. We should just sleep."

"Yeah…" I utter. But neither of us were tired anymore. We sit there for a while before I speak up.

"You never told me about your eyes."

"Oh yeah," He says softly, "It's kind of a long, dramatic story. Are you sure you're not too tired?" I nod, happy that he isn't too angry or upset to talk to me.

"Alright well, where to start?" He asks himself, rubbing the back of his neck, looking away, "When I was just a little colt, I was fast, strong, smart, handsome…"

"I get the picture," I smirk, yawn following. Maybe I was a little sleepy.

"Yeah, yeah," He continues, "And I was the only earth pony, well only pony in general in my school who could bend shadows, because my entire family is a chain of Children of the Night, just like you. My life was great. Little did I know that the "new teachers" in my school were really Anarchy assassins secretly observing the most athletic students and capturing them, turning them as evil as they were." I'd heard of Anarchy. They supported the fall of both princesses, hence the name. But they were basically non-existent now that the war has started. "One night, they broke into my room and kidnapped me. I don't remember much of my time being in Anarchy, but what I do remember was brutal. They would cast a spell on me that turned me into a mindless killing machine. I would do their dirty work, then they would release the spell, so I could see what I had done." I look down at his cutie mark. He sees this.

"Is that how you…" my sentence was cut off by another yawn.

"Yeah, it's how I got my cutie mark," He pauses, "Anyways, one night, they sent me to a home in Canterlot to murder a couple of Lunar supporters who were devout to showing others the amenities of following Luna," his voice cracks, "I never guessed that it would be my parents. I gouged out my own eyes that night, so that I would never have to see what I've done or will do ever again. Life went on as it did for a few more months until I was rescued by Solar Guards. They took me to Celestia, who gave me these magical glasses that let me see without eyes. She was like a new mom to me and eventually I became a Solar guard. I was on a mission one day to infiltrate the Manehatten headquarters and come back with information about their next attack. I ended up overhearing a conversation between two Lunar guards, a colt and a mare. The colt told the mare about when Luna found him wandering the streets on Canterlot after his parents were brutally murdered. After he explained that night further, I knew it was me who killed them," He pauses, taking in a shaky breath, "And I knew that his parents were my parents. I saw only a glimpse of him and, sure enough, this _Lunar guard _was my brother. He had taken the exact opposite paths." Wait… a Lunar guard with dead parents who was taken in by Princess Luna. That sounds like…

"Blade…" The last thing I see before sleep grabs hold is a single bloody tear drop slip down Shadow Blade's cheek.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: My favorite section of dialog in this chapter has the be the small banter between Shadow Blade and Moon Dancer about Blade being cold hearted. The whole reason I added it was specifically for The Fox Doctor because he does crap like that to me all the time. So yes, this note doesn't really apply to anyone but him. Carry on.**


	6. Chapter 6

I bolt strait upright. Somepony or something was outside the tent. I could hear their powerful wings flapping. I look down at Blade who is sleeping soundly. I will never understand how Solar guards can sleep through anything. Well, anything except a princess being assassinated. I really hate to wake him. He sleeps on his back, one hoof draped lazily over his chest and another strewn right under my head, acting as a pillow. His cheek still has traces of blood on it. I stand and listen outside the tent. I hear the whoosh of wings being pulled back.

"Blade!" Our tent, along with us is blown away in a blur of cyan and rainbow. We topple down the hill. There's only one Pegasus I know who has wing power that large. Before I can regain my composure, Blade pulls me into the brush, arm blade already equipped.

"Blade-"

"Shh."

"Listen to me! That's Rainbow Dash, remember her? When the Wonderbolts all joined the New Lunar Air Force, she went with them."

Blade scoffed, "So called Element of Loyalty."

"Well, she was loyal to the Wonderbolts" I say, a little hurt that he was dissing one of my colleges. With another gust of wind, the surrounding bushes tumble away and we are exposed.

There flew the mare with a coat of sky and a mane of an artist's pallet, a Lunar pendant hanging from the chain around her neck. She landed after she saw me.

"Moon Dancer?" She questions in shock, "What are you doing here? You've been gone for days! Don't you know how worried we were?!" I step forwards to greet her.

"I know. I should have contacted you, but I'm safe, and better yet, I'm closer than ever to finding Luna!" I say, waiting for her to celebrate with me. Instead, she stares intently behind me. I look back and bite my lip when I realize that she's looking at my bow. Or actually, what's on my bow. There, in place of my Lunar pendant was the UCE crest.

"Liar," Rainbow dash growls, pushing me to the ground.

"Hey!" Blade yells, "What's your deal?"

"She's a traitor," Rainbow said through gritted teeth. She looked at Blade, finally taking notice that he was there, "You did this, didn't you?" She inquires, glaring at his identical UCE crest. "You turned her against us!" She was yelling now, louder than I had ever heard her yell.

"Dash, no! You have to listen!" I cry, but knowing Rainbow, listening was the last thing on her mind. She steps towards me, eyes set on one thing. Blade jumps in front of me.

"If you won't see reason," Shadow points his blade under her chin, "You must pay." There was something in Blades face and set that wasn't there before. Almost a sort of...

Bloodlust.

Rainbow scoffes, "Fine by me, you're no ally," She takes her eyes of Blade and narrows them at me, "And neither are you." She leaps into the air, fiddling with her pendant as she does. Starting from her neck and working it's way down, armor equips her body. Each feather on her wings grows a foot long black blade. Blade leaps towards her, his blade connecting with one of Dash's. The sunrise bounces off of them like strobe light as they battle. Dash soars into the air and dives towards him, blades spinning at a hundred miles an hour. _It looks like a move from Attack on Griffon_ I think to myself. Blade ducks out of the way just in time.

"I didn't want to have to do this," he says breathlessly, "but you've left me no other choice." Blade fixes his stance to a more secure one. "SHADOW MAIDEN!" Rainbow cringes and falls to the ground in a fit of spasms.

"Blade! What did you do?!" I scream, trying to decide weather to comfort Rainbow or run to Blade.

"I used the shadows in her armor and turned them into blades."

"Won't that kill her?!"

"Relax! They aren't real blades, just shadow waves that target vital organs to simulate getting impaled." I flinch, that sounded harsh, even if it wasn't actually harming her in the long run. Blade walks nonchalantly over to Rainbow.

"Any last words?" Rainbow spits in his face then passes out from the pain. "Lovely," Blade says, flinging the spit off his face. I sit there numbly, staring at Dash's limp body. "Well, it's daylight, might as well start walking now," he looks back at me, "You coming?" I nod slightly. With pursed lips and teary eyes, I preform a memory spell on her. "Good thinking, Moon," says Blade helpfully.

"Yeah, better Rainbow think she got drunk and blacked out than having her college turn against her," I sniffle, whipping my eyes.

"Hey," Blade says, even more gently than I ever imagined he could, "I told you, you didn't turn against Luna, you're actually helping her a lot more than you would be if you didn't join the UCE."

"Yeah, I know," I say, whipping the last of the tears from my face, "But she didn't need to make it so dramatic."

"Tell me about it," He snorts, "Now come on, It will take at least til' noon to get to Ponyville and there's a party tonight that I'm too good of a guy not to make you shower before we go. You smell."

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: After proof reading this I realized how many cliché there are in this chapter... Oh well. #ObeyTheCliché**


End file.
